Engine starter



Feb. 13, 1962 D. c. REDICK ETAL ENGINE STARTER Filed Jul so, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS David C. Redick Gerald L. Cameron Q Ralph H. Berfsche, Jr

Wcfar W. Ya/m Y C 0 R W Their Aflqrney Feb. 13, 1962 D. c. REDICK ETAL ENGINE STARTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1959 INVENTORS. David 6. Red/ck Gerald L. Cameron Ralph H. Berfsche, Jr: V/cfor W. Ya/m B) C, R. W

Their Ajrtorney United htates Patent 3,020,771 ENGINE STARTER David C. Redick and Gerald L. Cameron, Anderson, Ind, Ralph H. iiertsche, in, Royal Oak, Mich, and Victor W. Yahn, Anderson, Ind., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 30, 1959, Ser. No. 830,500 7 Claims. (Cl. 74-7) This invention relates to electric motor driven starters for cranking internal combustion engines.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an electric motor driven engine starter that is capable of operation over an extended period of time Without repair or maintenance thus reducing the down time of the trucks and road machinery which employ this type of starter.

Another object of this invention is to provide a starting motor which has its electrical parts sealed off, thus preventing the entry of dust, dirt, lubricants and the like onto the parts of the starting motor that would be harmed by these substances.

A further object of thi invention is to provide a seal encompassing a starting motor shaft that prevents lubricant from entering the starting motor, there being means for compressing the seal when the starting motor is not operating and this means operating to remove the compressive force on the seal when the starting motor is cranking an engine.

A further object of this invention is to provide an engine starter that has an enclosed shift lever and wherein the nose assembly of the starter is adjustable to fit various internal combustion engines.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of an engine starter made in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the engine starter illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the pinion shifting lever assembly which is illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1, it is seen that the engine starter has a tubular motor frame designated by reference numeral 10. An end frame, designated by reference numeral 12, is secured to the motor frame by one or more fasteners by a nut designated by reference numeral 40, there being an 0 ring seal 41 positioned between the head of the nut and the housing 22. The housing 22 is secured to tubular frame 10 by means of a plurality of fasteners designated by reference numeral 42. The housing 22 has a circumferentially extending portion 43 which is provided with a plurality of spaced threaded openings 44 that receive fasteners 45.

The fasteners 45 serve to secure a nose housing generally designated by reference numeral 46 to the housing designated by reference numeral 22. The interior of the nose housing communicates with chamber 36 of housing 22 through opening 37 formed in housing 22. The opening 37 faces in a direction opposite from opening 33 and these openings are connnected by chambers 34 and 36. The nose housing 46 is open over an area designated by reference numeral 47 in order to provide clearance for the engagement of pinion 48 with the ring gear of an internal combustion engine. It will be appreciated that the nose housing 46 may be adjusted circumferentially relative to the housing 22 in order to provide for a plurality of adjusted positions of the nose designated by reference numeral 14. The end frame 12 1 contains a bearing bushing 16 and has an annular groove designated by reference numeral 18. An 0 ring seal formed of resilient material such as rubber and designated by reference numeral 20 is positioned within the annular groove 18 and forms a tight seal between the end frame 12 and the motor frame 10.

A housing generally designated by reference numeral 22 is provided which has a portion 24 that is fitted with a bearing bushing 26. The portion 24 is formed with an annular groove 28 which is fitted with an 0 ring seal 30 formed of resilient material such as rubber. It is seen that the 0 ring seal 30 is tightly compressed between the motor frame 10 and the portion 24 of housing 22. The housing 22 has an upper portion designated by reference numeral 32 which is generally tubular and forms a chamber 34 which communicates with a chamber designated by reference numeral 36. The portion 32 has an opening 33 as is clearly apparent from FIGURE 1. An opening designated by reference numeral 38 is provided in the housing 22 and this opening is closed housing. With this arrangement, the nose housing may be shifted to various positions in order that it may fit various types and constructions of internal combustion engines. A gasket designated by reference numeral 39 is interposed between the nose housing 46 and the housing 22 as is clearly apparent from FIGURE 1.

The housing 10 of the engine starter contains the usual field winding designated by reference numeral 49 and contains an armature designated by reference numeral 50. A shaft designated by reference numeral 51 passes through the armature and carries the armature core and winding. The shaft 51 also carries a commutator designated by reference numeral 52 which cooperates with suitable brushes designated by reference numeral 53. It is seen that the shaft 51 is journalled within bearing bushings 16 and 26 which are fitted respectively within end frame 12 and the portion 24 of housing 22. A spacer 'member designated by reference numeral 54 encircles the shaft 51 and is located adjacent a seal designated by reference numeral 55. The seal 55 is located adjacent the bearing bushing 26 while the opposite side of the bearing bushing engages an 0 ring seal designated by refence numeral 56 that is formed of resilient material such as rubber. The 0 ring seal 56 is positioned within an annular groove designated by reference numeral 57 and formed in the portion 24 of housing 22. A collar member designated by reference numeral 58 abuts the O ring seal 56 and also abuts a brake washer designated by reference numeral 59 It is seen that the brake washer will at times be tightly fitted between a collar 60 of the pinion shifting mechanism and the portion 24 of housing 22.

It is seen that shaft 51 is journalled in bearing bushings 16 and 26 and in a bearing bushing designated by reference numeral 61 located within nose housing 46. The portion of the shaft located within housings 22 and 46 supports a pinion shifting mechanism that includes the collar 60, a sleeve designated by reference numeral 62, an overrunning clutch designated by reference numeral 63, and the pinion gear designated by reference numeral 48 which is, at times, shifted into mesh with the ring gear 84 of the engine to be cranked. The collar member 60 and sleeve member 62 are secured together or are formed as one piece and the sleeve member 62 is splined to the shaft 51. The sleeve member 6-2 drives the pinion 48 through the overrunning clutch 63. The particular construction of the pinion driving mechanism may be of the type illustrated in the Schneider et a1. Patent 2,862,391.

The collar 60 and sleeve 62 are shifted along the length of the shaft 51 by a lever assembly designated in its entirety by reference numeral 64. The lever assembly, as is better illustrated in FIGURE 3, comprises two parts 65 and 66 which are secured together, the lower portion thereof being forked to engage the collar member 60. The lever assembly 64 is pivoted on a pin designated by reference numeral 67 which is shown in detail in FIGURE 3. It is seen that the pin is positioned within openings in the upper portion 32 of housing 22. The pin is grooved over the area that is positioned within the housing 22 and these grooves are fitted with O-ring seals 68 and 69. The top end of the lever assembly 64 is slotted at 70 and these slots receive a pin designated by reference numeral 71 and secured to an armature shaft 72 of a solenoid designated by reference numeral 73. The solenoid 73 includes the usual coil windings and an armature 74 that is shifted whenever the coil windings of the solenoid are energized. It is seen that the solenoid is supported from the tubular frame of the starting motor.

The solenoid 73 has a housing portion designated by reference numeral 75 in which the armature 74 slides. A boot designated by reference numeral 76 and formed of resilient material such as rubber has a circumferentially extending portion 77 which is compressed between the housing 75 of solenoid 73 and the portion 32 of housing 22. This boot is convoluted, as shown, and has a portion 78 fitting within a reduced portion 79 of shaft 72. A spring retainer designated by reference numeral 86 is fitted over a portion of the boot and a second spring retainer designated by reference numeral 80 is secured to the shaft 72. A spring designated by reference numeral 81 is interposed between spring retainers 86 and 80 and serves to bias the shaft 72, the shift lever 64 and the collar 60 to the position illustrated in FIGURE 1. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the boot 76 will prevent lubricant and the like from entering the solenoid 73 since a tight seal is provided between the housing 75 of the solenoid and the portion 32 of housing 22 and a tight seal is also provided between the boot and the solenoid shaft 72. This is important since the overrunning clutch 63 and pinion 48 operate in considerable oil and this oil is thus prevented from entering the solenoid 73.

It is to be pointed out that, when the parts of the engine starter are in the position shown in FIGURE 1, the O-ring seal 56 is compressed through the collar 58 and the brake washer 59. This compressive force is applied by the spring 81 through the shift lever 64 and collar 60. It thus is apparent that, when the solenoid 73 is not energized and the starting motor is at rest, the O-ring seal 56 will be tightly compressed to prevent oil and the like from leaking into the area containing the armature 50. The brake washer 59 at this time is also held against the portion 24 of housing 22 to stop rotation of shaft 51.

When it is desired to crank an engine with the engine starter of this invention, the solenoid 73 is energized to cause a shifting of shaft 72 with a consequent shifting of lever 64, collar 60, sleeve 62 and pinion 48. The pinion is shifted a sufiicient distance to become meshed with a ring gear designated by reference numeral 84. When the pinion 48 is shifted into mesh with the ring gear 84, the shaft 72 also moves a contactor to complete a circuit for energizing the starting motor in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. It will be appreciated that, when the engine is being cranked, the compressive force on 'O-Iing seal 56 is relieved so that it is no longer tightly compressed between the end of bearing bushing 26 and collar member 58. The seal thus will not bind on the shaft 51 during the time that it is rotating to crank the engine.

It can be seen from the foregoing that an engine starter has been provided which is completely sealed to prevent the entry of dust, dirt, lubricant and the like into parts of the starter which would be harmed by these substances. Even though the engine starter is completely sealed, it still is versatile in application due to the fact that the nose casting 46 may be adjusted relative to the housing 22 in order that the engine starter may be fitted to various types of engines. It is also to be noted that the shift lever 64 and solenoid shaft 72 are completely enclosed by the portion 32 of housing 22. This likewise prevents injury to the moving parts of the engine starter which brings about an extended life for the engine starter with the consequent eliminating of down time of various machinery that use this type of starter.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. An engine starter for an internal combustion engine, comprising, a tubular frame, an armature and field winding positioned within said frame, a first end frame engaging said frame, an 0 ring seal compressed between said first end frame and said tubular frame, a first housing having first and second openings facing in opposite directions supported by said tubular frame, an 0 ring seal compressed between said first housing and said tubular frame, a shaft connected with said armature passing through one of the openings of said first housing, a nose housing adjustably supported by said first housing to a plurality of positions relative to said first housing, a pinion slidably supported by said shaft and positioned within said nose housing, a solenoid supported by said tubular frame, said solenoid having a shaft that passes through the other of said openings of said first housing and into said chamber, and a pinion shifting lever pivotally supported by said housing and positioned entirely within said chamber, said pinion shifting lever connecting said solenoid shaft and said pinion for shifting said pinion into mesh with the ring gear of an engine.

2. An engine starter for cranking an internal combustion engine, comprising, a frame, an armature and field winding positioned within said frame, a first housing supported by said frame having first and second openings facing in opposite directions that are connected by a chamber, a nose housing positioned in alignment with one of said openings in said first housing and adjustable relative to said first housing, a shaft connected with said armature passing through said first housing and through said nose housing, a pinion slidably supported by said shaft, a solenoid supported by said frame having a solenoid housing a portion of which extends through the other of said openings in said first housing and which is located at least partially within said first housing, said solenoid having a shaft projecting into said chamber through said other opening, a boot member having a portion fitting within a groove formed in said solenoid shaft and having a portion tightly fitting between said solenoid housing and said first housing, said boot member enclosing at least a portion of said solenoid shaft, and a shifting lever positioned entirely within said chamber connecting said solenoid shaft and said pinion for shifting the same into mesh with the ring gear of an engine.

3. An engine starter for cranking an internal combustion engine, comprising, a frame, a pair of end frames supported by said frame, an armature and field winding disposed within said frame, an armature shaft journalled for rotation in said end frames, a pinion slidably supported by said armature shaft, a solenoid, a shift lever connecting said solenoid and pinion for shifting said pinion in one direction, a spring for shifting said pinion in an opposite direction operating through said shift lever, an 0 ring seal encircling said armature shaft and positioned between said armature shaft and a portion of one of said end frames, and means including said spring for compressing said O ring seal when said pinion is out of mesh with said ring gear.

4. An engine starter for cranking an internal combustion engine, comprising, a motor frame, first and second end frames supported by said motor frame, an armature and field winding positioned within said motor frame, an armature shaft connected with said armature, a pinion slidably supported by said armature shaft, a solenoid, a shift lever connected between said solenoid and pinion for shifting said pinion into mesh with the ring gear of an engine, a spring for maintaining said pinion out of mesh with said ring gear, an O ring seal positioned between said armature shaft and one of said end frames, and means movable with said shifting lever for compressing said O ring seal when said pinion is out of mesh with said ring gear.

5. An engine starter for cranking an internal combustion engine, comprising, a tubular frame, first and second end frames supported by said tubular frame and enclosing an armature and a field winding, a shaft connected with said armature, a pinion slidably supported by said shaft and adapted to be moved into engagement with the ring gear of an engine, a collar member slidably supported by said shaft for shifting said pinion, a solenoid, a pinion shifting lever connected between said solenoid and said collar, a brake washer positioned between said collar and one of said end frames, an O ring seal fitted between said armature shaft and said one end frame, a second collar member positioned between said O ring seal and said brake washer, and means including a spring for biasing said shifting lever in one direction, said spring operating through said shifting lever, collar, brake washer, and second collar for compressing said O ring seal when said pinion is out of mesh with said ring gear.

6. An engine starter for cranking an internal combustion engine, comprising, a frame containing an armature and a field winding, an end frame supported by said frame, an armature shaft connected with said armature, a pinion slidably supported by said armature shaft and shiftable into mesh with the ring gear of an engine, means including a solenoid for shifting said pinion in one direction, resilient means for shifting said pinion in an opposite direction, a resilient seal encircling said armature shaft and positioned between said shaft and said end frame, and means including said resilient means for compressing said seal when said pinion is out of mesh with said ring gear, the compression of said resilient seal being relieved when said pinion is shifted into mesh with said ring gear against said resilient means.

7. An engine starter for cranking an internal combustion engine, comprising, a frame enclosing an armature and a field winding, a first housing having first and second openings facing in opposite directions supported by said frame and having a chamber connecting said openings, a solenoid having a solenoid housing supported by said frame having a shaft passing through one of the openings in said first housing into said chamber, a nose housing supported by said first housing and located in alignment with the second opening in said first housing, a shaft carried by said armature and extending through the second opening in said first housing and into said nose housing, a pinion slidably supported by said shaft and shiftable into engagement with a ring gear, a lever connected between said solenoid shaft and said pinion for shifting said pinion, said lever being positioned entirely within said chamber, and a resilient boot having a first annular portion compressed between said solenoid housing and said first housing encircling said solenoid shaft and having a second portion snugly engaging a portion of the shaft for sealing said solenoid from the interior of said chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,736,600 Jackson Nov. 19, 1929 2,502,336 Miller Mar. 28, 1950 2,509,361 McCreary May 30, 1950 2,514,136 OConnor July 4, 1950 2,711,724 Jenny et a1. June 28, 1955 2,779,209 Estes et a1. Jan. 29, 1957 2,839,935 Hartzell et a1. June 24, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 868,618 France Oct. 13, 1941 1,144,364 France Apr. 23, 1957 

